By Louvier Kindo Tombe in Yaounde
Studies show that a child’s brain doubles in size in the first year and keeps growing to about 80 percent of adult size by age three, and 90 percent nearly full grown by age five. The education they receive during this period will play a lot on their future.
It is against this backdrop that the Kalkaba Development Initiative (KDI) developed the application “Thrive by Five”.
“We want to improve interaction between parents, caregivers and their children”, says Kalkaba Malboum, president of the Kalkaba Development Initiative and brain behind the social media application.
We are living in a world where everyone is busy and little attention is given to the growth of children. Most parents are busy fending for the family while caregivers rarely take time to groom children in a way that develops all their potentials.
The “Thrive by Five” application is coming to bridge that gap. With the application, one can connect, talk and play with children while guiding them to develop their full potentials.
Speaking at the launch in Yaounde, Minister Pauline Irene Nguene saluted the efforts of those behind the application saying it falls in line with government’s actions.
“The protection of children in all aspects of life is a priority in Cameroon”, she said.
The Thrive by Five program is based on the latest child development research and places it in the hands of parents. High-quality interactions between parents and children in the early years have a profound impact on a child’s brain development and well-being. Informed and empowered parents will set children up to reach their full potential now and in the future.
The application is fruits of a win-win cooperation between Cameroonian and Australian experts. A partnership between the Kalkaba Development Initiative, Minderoo Foundation in Australia and the University of Sydney.
Cameroon is the first French Africa country to launch the application, the second in the continent after Namibia.
Promoters of the application say everyone can use it even those in remote areas where access to internet is still a challenge.
While presenting the application to the public during the launch, the Director of the Minderoo Foundation, Africa Region, revealed that “the application operates without internet access onced it has been downloaded online.”
It is true that the application is social media friendly because of the various games and activities available for children, but the General Manager of the Kalkaba Development Initiative, said at the launch that there are options for everyone.
“We have designed other Thrive by Five activities on other supports like playing cards, and audio devices for those who may not have access to a mobile telephone”, the GM said.
The “Thrive by Five” application it should be noted is composed of different activities and ideas designed according to various communities.
“Parents and caregivers have the opportunity to connect, talk and play games that best expresses their community ideologies”, Kalkaba Malboum told reporters.
“All they need to do is to download the app online, or get the other formats and start using”, he added.
The launching took place in the presence of the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, Obena Ondoa Nee Obama Marie Therese, and the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Secondary Education.
The government Ministers present invited other Cameroonians to emulate the example of the Kalkaba Development Initiative and come up with ideas to rethink strategies of giving children a better way of seeing the world.
